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1 February 12, 2015 In battleground Virginia, Clinton beating all Republicans in 2016 presidential matchups; GOP voters divided, with Bush up, Christie down Summary of Key Findings 1. Virginia voters like Hillary Clinton: In head-t0-head matchups with a list of potential Republican challengers, Clinton beats them all. 2. Virginia Republican voters are very divided among many potential candidates, but Jeb Bush and Scott Walker get the most support in a hypothetical 2016 Republican primary. 3. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie s favorable rating in Virginia has dropped from 46% to 30% since a year ago. 4. Virginia Democrats strongly prefer Clinton over Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and other potential Democratic contenders. 5. President Obama s approval is underwater in Virginia at 43% to 53%, but only 13% of voters approve of the job Congress is doing. For Further Information Contact: Dr. Quentin Kidd, Director McMurran Hall 264 Office (757) Wason Center for Public Policy Christopher Newport University Mobile (757) Newport News, VA

2 Analysis The State of Things: Virginians are not happy with the direction of the country, with 53% saying things in the United States are mostly going in the wrong direction. President Barack Obama s job approval among registered Virginia voters stands at 43%, with 53% disapproving and 4% not sure. Obama s approval has hovered in the mid-40% range among Virginia voters for several years, jumping above 50% in January 2013 as he took the oath of office for his second term. Mirroring views nationally, only 13% of Virginia voters approve of the job Congress is doing, while 80% say they disapprove and 7% aren t sure. Overall, would you say things in the United States are heading more in the direction? Right 35 Mixed (vol) 10 Wrong 53 Dk/ref (vol) 2 Trends: Jan Jan Jan Feb Right Mixed (vol) Wrong Dk/ref (vol) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as President? Approve 43 Disapprove 53 Dk/ref (vol) 4 Trends: Jan Feb Jan Feb Approve Disapprove Dk/ref (vol) Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is doing its job? Approve 13 Disapprove 80 Dk/ref (vol) 7 Trends: Feb Approve 10 Disapprove 80 0 Clinton, Webb and Bush viewed most favorably: Among the early contenders for President in 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the highest favorability rating among Virginia voters at 46%, but slightly more (49%) view her unfavorably. Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, who has announced that he is considering a run for the White House in 2016, has a 35% favorability rating here in his home state. Jeb Bush has the highest favorability rating among Republicans, at 32%. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie s favorability stands at 30%, a significant drop from the 46% favorability 2

3 he had the last time the Wason Center gauged it, in February Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Rand Paul, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee are favored by between one-third and one-fourth of registered Virginia voters. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Ted Cruz are favored by less than one-fourth of Virginia voters. Every candidate except Webb has a higher unfavorable rating than favorable rating, with Biden (62%) and Paul leading (50%) the unfavorables. Virginia voters are strongly in favor of the next president focusing more attention on domestic policy than foreign policy, with 59% saying domestic policy and only 19% saying foreign policy. One-fifth say both. Favorable Unfavorable Don t know Refused (vol) Hillary Clinton Jim Webb Jeb Bush Joe Biden Chris Christie Marco Rubio Rand Paul Mike Huckabee Scott Walker Ted Cruz Elizabeth Warren Will it be more important for the next president to focus more on domestic policy or foreign policy? Domestic 59 Foreign 19 Neither (vol) 1 Both (vol) 20 Priorities for the next president: The economy, jobs, and terrorism figure highly in what Virginia voters think the top priority of the next president should be. Almost eight in ten (78%) say strengthening the nation s economy should be a top priority, with the same percentage saying defending the country from future terrorist attacks should be a top priority. Other top priority areas for Virginia voters include: improving the job situation (67%), reducing the budget deficit (62%), reducing health care costs (59%), improving the education system (56%), taking steps to make the Social Security system financially sound (54%), and taking steps to make the Medicare system financially sound (51%). As far as Virginia voters are concerned, 2016 is going to be an election about domestic policy, said Dr. Quentin Kidd, director of the Wason Center for Public Policy. Voters are concerned about protecting the country from terrorist attacks, yes, but by and large their list of top priorities is focused on the economy, jobs, and the health of domestic programs and policies. 3

4 Will this be a.priority? Top Important but lower Not too important Strengthening the nation s economy Defending the country from future terrorist attacks Improving the job situation Reducing the budget deficit Reducing health care costs Improving the education system Should not be done Taking steps to make the Social Security system financially sound Taking steps to make the Medicare system financially sound Reducing the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups in Washington Reforming the nation s tax system Strengthening the U.S. military Dealing with the issue of immigration Reducing crime Protecting the environment Dealing with the role of money in politics Dealing with the problem of poor and needy people Dealing with the moral breakdown of the country Dealing with the nation s energy problems Addressing race relations Improving the country s roads, bridges, and public transportation system Supporting scientific research Dealing with global climate change Dealing with global warming Dealing with global trade issues Dk/ref (vol) No clear front-runner in Republican field: Republican voters in Virginia are far more interested in choosing a candidate who can win over a candidate who satisfies any given ideological litmus test, but there is no clear leader in a hypothetical 2016 Republican primary election. Jeb Bush leads the pack, with 21% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents saying they would vote for him, followed by Scott Walker at 16%. Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie each garner 10% support, followed closely by Ben Carson at 9%. All other candidates, including 2012 Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, poll in the single digits. The Republican field is still very fluid in Virginia, said Kidd. Last year this time, Chris Christie was leading the pack, but now finds himself in fourth place. Republican voters are still assessing their choices. 4

5 If you had to choose, would you rather see the Republican party nominate a presidential candidate who agrees with you on every issue that matters to you but may not be able to beat the Democratic candidate, or a presidential candidate who can beat the Democratic candidate but does not agree with you on every issue that matters to you? Agree on issues 22 Can beat Democrat 73 Dk/ref (vol) 5 If the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary in Virginia were held today and the candidates were [Names rotated] for whom would you vote? Jeb Bush 21 Scott Walker 16 Mike Huckabee 10 Chris Christie 10 Ben Carson 9 Rand Paul 6 Marco Rubio 6 Paul Ryan 5 Ted Cruz 3 John Kasich 3 Bobby Jindal 2 Rich Perry 1 Mike Pence 1 Rob Portman 1 Rick Santorum 1 Someone else (vol) 1 Undecided/Dk/ref (vol) 4 Clinton has a strong lead among Democrats: Like Republican voters, Virginia Democrats are also far more interested in choosing a candidate who can win over a candidate who satisfies any given ideological litmus test. But unlike Republicans, Democrats are clear about who they like: Hillary Clinton. If the 2016 Democratic presidential primary were held today, Clinton would cruise to a commanding victory with 65% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents saying they would vote for her rather than Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, or any of the other potential challengers. While the Republican field is still very fluid in Virginia, the Democratic field is already solidified, said Kidd. Hillary Clinton s position among Virginia Democrats has not changed much, if any, since last year, suggesting that her support among Democratic voters is stable and mature. 5

6 If you had to choose, would you rather see the Democratic party nominate a presidential candidate who agrees with you on every issue that matters to you but may not be able to beat the Republican candidate, or a presidential candidate who can beat the Republican candidate but does not agree with you on every issue that matters to you? Agree on issues 25 Can beat Democrat 71 Dk/ref (vol) 4 If the 2016 Democratic Presidential Primary in Virginia were held today and the candidates were [Names rotated] for whom would you vote? Hillary Clinton 65 Jim Webb 10 Joe Biden 8 Elizabeth Warren 8 Deval Patrick 2 Bernie Sanders 2 Andrew Cuomo 1 Martin O Malley 1 Someone else (vol) 1 Undecided/Dk/ref (vol) 2 Hillary Clinton beats all comers if 2016 election were held today: Virginia voters like Hillary Clinton. In hypothetical 2016 head-to-head matchups with a list of potential Republican challengers, Clinton beats them all. Only two Republicans hold Clinton below 50%, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. The closest matchup pits Clinton against Bush, where Clinton wins by 5 points, 48% to 43%. Clinton beats Christie by 7 points, 49% to 42%. No Republican candidate is able to keep Clinton s vote among women below 50%. Likewise, no Republican is able to hold Clinton s vote among Millennial voters (those between the ages of 18-34) below 58%. Most notably, Jeb Bush loses Millennial voters by 34% (65% to 31%) against the former Secretary of State and First Lady. Christie and Bush perform best among Independents, both holding Clinton s vote below 50% among that segment of voters. While Hillary Clinton has yet to officially declare her candidacy, voters in the battleground state of Virginia seem clear that they want her to run, giving her a commanding lead, said Kidd. Clinton has critical strengths among women voters and younger voters, two blocs of the electorate that Republicans have struggled with in recent presidential elections. 6

7 Hillary Clinton, the Democrat or Chris Christie, the Republican], for whom would you vote? Clinton Christie Undecided (vol.) Hillary Clinton, the Democrat or Mike Huckabee, the Republican], for whom would you vote? Clinton Huckabee Undecided (vol.) Hillary Clinton, the Democrat or Rand Paul, the Republican], for whom would you vote? Clinton Paul Undecided (vol.) Hillary Clinton, the Democrat or Jeb Bush, the Republican], for whom would you vote? Clinton Bush Undecided (vol.) Hillary Clinton, the Democrat or Marco Rubio, the Republican], for whom would you vote? Clinton Rubio Undecided (vol.) Hillary Clinton, the Democrat or Paul Ryan, the Republican], for whom would you vote? Clinton Ryan Undecided (vol.)

8 Demographic Toplines EDUC: High school or less 12 Some college 24 Vocational or technical training 2 College graduate 30 Graduate study or more 31 HISPANIC: Yes 4 No 95 RACE: Black or African American 19 White 72 Other 9 RELIG: Protestant 31 Christian (non-specific) (vol) 18 Catholic 14 Jewish 3 Other 18 None 14 Dk/ref (vol) 3 IDEOL: Strong liberal 6 Liberal 14 Moderate, leaning liberal 20 Moderate, leaning conservative 22 Conservative 19 Strong Conservative 12 Dk/ref (vol) 7 PARTYID: Republican 21 Independent lean Republican 20 Independent 16 Independent lean Democrat 15 Democrat 25 No preference/other party (vol) 2 TEAPARTY: Support 23 Oppose 44 No view either way 32 AGE: & older 43 REGION: Northern Virginia 33 Richmond/Central 21 Hampton Roads 24 South/Southwest 22 SEX: Male 49 Female 51 How the survey was conducted: The results of this poll are based on 794 interviews of registered Virginia voters, including 430 on landline and 364 on cell phone, conducted January 30 - February 10, Percentages may not equal 100 due to rounding. The margin of error for the whole survey is +/- 3.6% at the 95% level of confidence. Questions 6a-l and 6m-x were asked of randomized half samples (n=397), and the margin of error for these questions is +/- 5.2 at the 95% level of confidence. All error margins have been adjusted to account for the survey s design effect, which is 1.09 in this survey. The design effect is a factor representing the survey s deviation from a simple random sample, and takes into account decreases in precision due to sample design and weighting procedures. In addition to sampling error, the other potential sources of error include non-response, question wording, and interviewer error. The response rate (AAPOR RRI Standard Definition) for the survey was 21%. Five callbacks were employed in the fielding process. Live calling was conducted by trained interviewers at the Wason Center for Public Policy Survey Research Lab at Christopher Newport University. The data reported here are weighted using an iterative weighting process on sex, age, race and region of residence to reflect as closely as possible the demographic composition of registered voters in Virginia. The survey was designed by Dr. Quentin Kidd of the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. 8

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